


Welcome Home

by greentea815



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 03:43:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5693305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greentea815/pseuds/greentea815
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shizune has accompanied Lady Tsunade, the newly-appointed hokage, on a homecoming trip back to Konoha.  Kakashi welcomes Shizune back home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> Kakashi & Shizune is not a common pairing in the Naruto fandom, but special to me nonetheless. I'd been wanting to create something with them, and I hope that the few people that join me in enjoying this pairing will like the story.

His lone exposed eye, as usual, did not surrender emotion, nor did it fail to expertly observe. In stark contrast to the miraculously still youthful-looking, flashy Fifth Hokage, her assistant's appearance was neat and minimalistic, expressing a practical, but elegant style. This extended to her minimal cosmetics, clear nail polish, and the short, stylish hairstyle. Her dark eyes, still doe-like like he recalled, bespoke of a maturity and intelligence appropriate for her age. It had been many years since Shizune, along with Tsunade, had left Konoha.

Gathering from her slim silhouette, and seeing where her knees created shadow, he surmised the length of Shizune's lean thighs and calves. He had a hunch that underneath that skirt would be two long, shapely stems, and his hunches were usually correct. Yes, smooth, strong legs that traveled for days to those delicate ankles, with beautiful feet that--

“Old friend, I dare say, you're distracted.”

Kakashi Hatake glanced towards his left, the direction of the overtly masculine voice that had the superficial, and slightly annoying tone of an announcer. The voice was typically much louder in volume, in comically-contrasting tones, but since all of Konohagakure's jonin were lined up to greet the new hokage at today's inauguration ceremony, it was in a much lower, respectful volume.

Might Guy continued dramatically, “ _Godaime Hokage_ , legendary Sanin, and world's finest _kunoichi_ , has returned to her hometown at last after many years away, stronger than ever. Yes, that earth-shattering strength being the culmination of hard work and fiery dedication, no doubt. Any shinobi worth his salt would indeed be distracted with deep admiration at the thought of serving under her.” Steady waterfalls of tears erupted from Guy's eyes.

Kakashi thought he was keeping his surveying subtle, but then again, his “sworn lifetime rival” had a keen awareness of his every move when they were together, ready to compete at whatever task, however small and petty, or however impossibly ambitious. However, Guy failed to realize it was the hokage's pig-toting assistant that Kakashi was studying in “deep admiration.”

The masked ninja remained silent, kept his face neutral, and his eye went back to his target. As Tsunade individually greeted every jonin, her companion followed in kind, and kept non-essential talk at a minimum.

When Kakashi's turn came, he exchanged polite greetings with the new hokage. And once his turn to bow at Shizune came, his eye locked with the medical-nin's eyes. Their eye contact lasted mere seconds, but his expertly-trained eye detected the pale rose hue develop on Shizune's cheeks, and her pupils dilated, just a little. Her subdued fragrance, with notes of citrus and ginger, intensified ever so slightly, giving away that her body heat had increased. Despite his perpetually-bored expression, Kakashi didn't miss much.

When the Fifth and Shizune moved on to greet the next person, Kakashi's eye continued to study the brunette, half-hoping for engagement again, but true to her task, Shizune did not meet his gaze again, and diligently continued to exchange polite greetings with the line of jonin.

Originally Kakashi planned to make up an excuse to skip the evening's fireworks display to celebrate the new hokage's inauguration, preferring to stay home and catch up on reading. Now, he had a change of heart.

***

Later that day, a lone visitor was at the Konoha cemetery. As was his habit on time off, Kakashi lay flowers on Rin Nohara's gravestone, and sat in silent contemplation for a few minutes. Bittersweet memories flooded his mind, although his blank expression indicated nothing, as usual. His ears perked at the sound of somebody nearby.

In the distance, another visitor arrived, with flowers. Kakashi saw that it was Shizune, along with Tonton. She made no indication that she was aware of his presence, as she settled down and removed a cloth from her bag. He watched her pour a solution on the cloth and begin to polish a gravestone. He continued to silently observe, not knowing what to do. Was this really an appropriate place to start a conversation? 

“Aren't you going to at least say hello?” 

Kakashi looked up at the chipper voice and saw a young Rin Nohara, as he last remembered her.

“Rin...”

Her smiling face broke into girlish giggles. “Do I detect a crush developing?” she teased, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. It had been years since his brain created this kind of fanciful interaction. In his heart, he liked to think it was Rin's spirit that initiated them.

Finally he responded, “Um, I don't know...”

Rin sighed. “How many times are you going to ignore life's opportunities for happiness, Kakashi? Believe me, I've watched in frustration time and time again as you lose yourself in work and then in books or visiting my gravesite on your time off, avoiding people, keeping your distance from joy.” Her face changed to an annoyed, but cute expression. “If you don't go over there and say hello, I'm going to haunt you forever!”

Kakashi knew she was joking, but what an ironic, almost cruel joke to say! His former teammates, Rin and Obito, were never far from his thoughts in quiet moments.

“Thank you, Rin,” Kakashi said, his eye downcast.

He felt Rin embrace him, and fade away.

Kakashi sighed, gathered his courage, and made his way to Shizune.

Shizune was scrutinizing her polishing job when Tonton poked her in the elbow with her snout, and emitted squeaky oinks. Altough Tonton was officially Tsunade's pet, Shizune was the primary caretaker of the pearl-donning pig. In their years together, Shizune developed an understanding of Tonton's varied vocalizations. She knew that Tonton was now indicating that somebody was coming. She saw her old classmate, Kakashi Hatake, approaching. 

Shizune and Kakashi bowed and exchanged pleasantries. And then there was a silence, Shizune smiling politely at Kakashi, who was furiously trying to think of what to say next. Shizune knew that the no-nonsense Kakashi, in his youth, was never one for small talk, and she saw that didn't change, but for one reason or another, here he was now, conversing with her, or attempting to, anyway.

“It's been a long time since I've been here to visit Uncle Dan,” Shizune broke the silence. 

Kakashi glanced at the now shining gravestone of Dan Kato, a hero from the Second Shinobi World War, renowned for his Spirit Transformation Technique.

“Your uncle was an outstanding shinobi,” Kakashi said.

Shizune smiled over at the gravestone and nodded. “He was, and more like a father to me, so in a way, I suppose you could say I see Hokage-sama as a mother figure, in a way.” Calling Tsunade “Hokage-sama” was going to take some getting used to. 

Shizune was disappointed, but not surprised when Lady Tsunade turned her down when she invited her to visit her uncle's gravesite. Tsunade rarely spoke of her deceased lover, and only then in drunken stupors. Shizune knew well the deep-seated sorrow Lady Tsunade held in her heart for both Dan and Lady Tsunade's departed younger brother. Coming back to Konoha brought many memories back, some of them too painful to talk about.

Shizune saw that Kakashi again was at a loss for words. It was an awkward place to be having a friendly chat. 

“And who are you visiting today?” Shizune asked, already knowing the answer.

“Rin.”

Shizune's mind pictured Team Minato, with a tinge of sadness, realizing Kakashi was the sole survivor. And the tragic circumstances of the deaths of Kakashi's team leader and teammates, particularly Rin. Not to mention, his father's sad end. She realized this was probably why Kakashi looked so...numb a lot of the time.

Shizune smiled. “I recall Rin possessing incredible promise as a medical-nin. Even Lady Tsunade had said so.”

“Yes...” Kakashi said, a shade of sorrow in his voice. He continued, eager to change topics, “Will you be attending this evening's fireworks show?”

Shizune's heartbeat quickened. Was the aloof Copy Ninja Kakashi attempting to ask her out? She did detect that he seemed to have his eye glued on her earlier when Lady Tsunade was greeting the jonin, but she just assumed he was looking at her, his returned ninja academy schoolmate, out of curiosity, nothing else. She felt self-conscious when they spoke earlier, his eye studying her – did he think she grew up to be attractive? No, he couldn't be interested in her in that way. He was only making conversation.

“I'm to attend to Lady Tsunade, who will be at a dinner hosted by the Konoha Council, and they will later watch the fireworks display together.”

Of course she would be busy tonight, Kakashi thought. The hokage's personal assistant would naturally follow her superior's demanding schedule. 

“I see,” Kakashi said, not knowing what else to say. On the outside, he sustained his cool attitude, but inside he felt foolish, and eager to bolt to the safety of his apartment, and books.

“But...” Shizune said. She bit her lip, and paused. “But afterward, I'll be excused for the evening...” Her eyes glanced away shyly, and she tucked some hair behind her ear. Tonton oinked encouragingly.

“And will you have plans at that time?” Kakashi asked, hopeful he didn't sound overeager. Although not exactly a novice in the romance department, he was not used to asking women out. They usually pursued him, and even then, he seldom accepted offers, as much as he admired beautiful women, and enjoyed reading about them...he just didn't do well with attachments.

Shizune cleared her suddenly dry throat. Why was she feeling like a blushing schoolgirl, nervous around her crush? She remembered young Kakashi as a perpetually grouchy, stickler-for-rules guy, and she found him to be a wet blanket back then. Now he seemed so laid back, and...handsome! Well, handsome from the features she could see, anyway. 

Why was he asking about her plans tonight? Was he actually asking her out?! No, don't be dumb, Shizune reprimanded her dreamy-eyed schoolgirl self.

She answered, “Well, not really... that is, I'm still settling in my new apartment and organizing it. It's a bit of a mess right now actually, and I was going to unpack boxes tonight.” She immediately regretted telling the truth. Unpack boxes? What an unsexy response!

She saw that Kakashi was thinking. Probably regretting he came up and spoke to her, still the dull, boring person he remembered from school, she thought. She made an effort to thwart that possibility. “But I'm in no mood to deal with them anyway. Moving is such a pain, isn't it?” She tittered and continued, “That can wait. I mean, if you had other ideas, or...”

Kakashi was going to offer to help her settle in, figuring she would have heavy furniture that needed to be situated. But going to her place, handling her personal things? It was too forward, and much too soon. But then he decided on something more appropriate and said, “If you're up to it, let's have a drink and catch up.”

“That would be lovely,” Shizune said. Tonton echoed her sentiments with cheerful oinks.

The two made plans to meet later that evening, and parted, both of them smiling, as they walked in opposite directions.

***

It was a mild, cool evening in Konoha. A blanket of twinkling stars spread out above, and down below the streets were bustling with the sounds and smells of villagers eating and shopping at the brightly-lit street vendors. Live music was playing, and there were stands set up for families to congregate while waiting for the fireworks display to begin.

At a top-floor restaurant with a perfect view of the celebrations down below, the members of the Konoha Council dined with their new hokage. Shizune sat at Tsunade's right, and Tonton was at Shizune's right in her own seat, atop a pile of books, nibbling at her vegetable plate.

Shizune glanced at Lady Tsunade, who was barely concealing her boredom. As hokage, she would have to attend similar official functions on a regular basis, a big difference from the seedy gambling dens and bars they frequented on their travels together.

As the drab conversation droned on, Shizune looked out at the windows and wondered what Kakashi was doing at the moment, and if he was looking forward to their meeting, as much as she was.

Kakashi was pacing in his apartment, his buzzing brain not allowing him to relax and read as usual. He looked at the clock for the 20th time that evening, a bizarre thing to do for somebody that was notorious for being late to everything. At this time Shizune would in the middle of dinner. The fireworks display wouldn't be for another hour, and the show would last around 30 minutes. Half an hour after that, they would have their...date. It was a date, wasn't it? He stopped his pacing. He should probably get flowers. No, that wouldn't do. They were just meeting for drinks, and that didn't call for flowers. But he should bring her something. He continued his pacing.

Tsunade stifled a yawn as the fireworks and live music drew to a dramatic flourish. She was seated on a rooftop with the members of the Konoha Council. She would much rather be seeing the blinking lights of a Pachinko machine than the explosion of fireworks, but this was her fate now. Why did she agree to be hokage again? She leaned in and whispered to Shizune, “Hey, let's get drunk tonight after we shake off these stiffs.”

Shizune sat up. It seemed as if Lady Tsunade wasn't quite ready to fully take on her hokage role. “But you have an early start tomorrow, Lady Tsunade,” she cautioned, not wanting to reveal her plans.

Tsunade whined, “But I'm itching for a little fun, aren't you?”

Shizune said, “Well, yes...” She sighed. There was no use keeping anything from Lady Tsunade. She continued, “But I have a commitment tonight...”

Tsunade's eyes widened. “Why you little devil! Is it somebody I know?”

Shizune put her palms up, shaking her head. “C-calm down, Lady Tsunade, it's only for a friendly drink with an old schoolmate.” Shizune laughed nervously.

Tsunade squeezed Shizune closer, her tight grip sending a dull pain in Shizune's arm. “It's Genma, isn't it? Haha, I detected he was checking you out earlier today! Along with some other guys. Can you blame them? My little Shizune has returned home, and has blossomed into a pretty, _available_ woman! Yeah, Genma...he's not bad, I guess. Although I was holding out hope that Iruka would be your match.”

Shizune blushed. Although it wasn't uncommon for them to talk about men and relationships, she hadn't realized that Genma had been “checking her out” as Lady Tsunade had just disclosed. And Iruka and her? Really??

“No, it's neither one of those.... I'm meeting with...Kakashi later on...” Shizune looked away, a little embarrassed.

Tsunade, releasing her grip on Shizune, said, “You do know he has this obsession with Jiraiya's novels, don't you? But otherwise, he'll do!” She chuckled and slapped Shizune on the back, causing Shizune to drop a snoozing Tonton, who squealed at the disturbance.

The council members looked over, looking slightly annoyed.

“Yes, a marvelous show, just marvelous!” Tsunade said, nodding to the council members, and applauding.

***

Shizune checked her reflection at the bar's mirrored back wall. She didn't have time to dash back to her apartment after Lady Tsunade released her for the evening, so she hoped she looked presentable enough. She was a little early, so she had time to slip into the lady's room to powder her nose, but before she could do that, she saw Kakashi come by, a large, flat box tucked under his arm. So, he was early. The man was full of surprises.

They greeted each other, settled down, and ordered their drinks. Kakashi asked where her constant companion was.

“Tonton is staying with Lady Tsunade this evening.” Shizune blushed at the memory of Lady Tsunade elbowing her in the ribs a few minutes ago as she said, “I'll take Tonton, so you can have another pig in your bed tonight.”

Their conversation flowed easily, the cocktails doing their work. They caught up on the years they spent apart, and reminisced about their old academy days. Shizune was happy to see that Kakashi no longer was so uptight as she remembered him. In fact, he was quite the opposite, and could laugh easily now.

It had been a very enjoyable time, but Shizune felt a little bit let down about something. Somehow Kakashi was able to drink at times when she was momentarily distracted or looking away, so she never did see his face! She was tempted a few times to peel his mask down to get a good look, but of course, she didn't.

Despite the desire to continue their conversation, tomorrow morning Shizune would be rising early, her first official day as the hokage's assistant, a role she intended to excel at. Kakashi offered to walk her home and she took him up on it. They continued to talk as they walked to her apartment.

Once at her door, Kakashi presented her with the large, flat box. “Please excuse the lack of gift wrapping, it's not one of my specialties. But I wanted to give you a little housewarming gift.”

Shizune's eyes lit up, she was genuinely touched. She accepted the box with a thank-you, and adjusted her skirt slit to access the kunai she kept on her thigh strap. Kakashi's eye confirmed what he surmised earlier that day – long, shapely legs, his particular weakness when it came to a woman's anatomy.

Shizune caught him looking and smiled, but decided not to tease him, as tempting as it was. Using her kunai, she opened the box to reveal a welcome mat. She squealed joyfully, and set it down immediately.

Kakashi was pleased his gift delighted her. It was an impulsive purchase made on the way to the bar. 

Shizune hugged Kakashi around the neck and said, “Thank you, I love it, now it really feels like I'm home!”

Kakashi was surprised at the sudden show of affection, but didn't hesitate to hold her closer, his hands at her slim waist. Shizune, suddenly realized how forward she was being and apologized, making motions to break the hug. Kakashi, however, only held her tighter. He leaned down and looked at her, his adoring glance melting into Shizune's widened eyes. Their faces inched closer. Shizune closed her eyes and felt Kakashi's lips touch down on hers in a tender kiss. When she fluttered her eyes open, she saw Kakashi's right hand replacing his mask back on. Dammit, missed it again, Shizune thought.

“Welcome home, Shizune,” Kakashi said softly, as he let go of her waist. Shizune's mouth was agape as he turned to leave, and then walked away, with his hands in his pockets, cool as ever.

Neither one of them got much sleep that night, too enraptured about the beginnings of something special.


End file.
